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A Path of Sand
ﾑ ｱﾑｲん Ծｷ ㄎﾑ刀Ð Stuff Author's Notes You probably already know this, but I still haven't read TBN. I felt some weird kind of urge to read just the part where Blister touches the Eye, though. Maybe I wanted to cause myself pain; I don't even really remember. But anyway, it made me just about literally see red. I just had to write. And since then, I've really had a wonderful break from my writer's block. It's like a dam of creativity just broke. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story! --Matau Credits Thanks to Darkheart for coming up with the awesome title! Also, I'm in need of an editor and an artist, so if you want to be either it would be so awesome! 83 A Path of Sand Prologue: Death There was a sound of chirping incessantly in her ear. The warm, absurdly moist air was almost drowning her. The temperature was fine, but the humidity made it nearly unbearable. Furthermore, it seemed several things—she didn’t even want to imagine what—had crawled onto her while she’d been lying there. It felt like late afternoon, but she wasn’t really sure. Blister woke up. That in and of itself was very strange. She’d expected to die, and yet she was, somehow, paradoxically, impossibly, alive. After touching the Eye of Onyx, she’d felt a surge of energy unlike anything before. It hadn’t really hurt, so to speak. It had more just felt like she’d touched a star. The power contained within the Eye was beyond anything she’d ever imagined. For a moment, she could have snuffed out the Sun if so she’d wished. So then… why didn’t it work? That was the true mystery here. Somehow, I’ve neither become queen nor died. Those had been the only two outcomes she’d ever thought possible after entering in this war, and yet neither had come true. Why not? If the Eye had hated her enough to refuse her that power, why did it not kill her? And if it hadn’t hated her, why not give her its magic? No answers were forthcoming. There wasn’t even anyone around to answer her. She just felt a kind of lingering tingle, like how after one tripped and fell a sort of dizziness remained after the hurt had worn off. It was a very strange feeling, but she had somehow sensed, ''if not felt, this feeling all her life. It was simultaneously the strangest and the most natural feeling she could imagine. If she’d died, she would have felt no more pain. If she’d gained its power, she would have felt no more pain. Had the Eye just wished to give her more pain? No, if that were true, then it would have made its spell over her painful. The spell had been absolutely painless. So, if it could have killed her, and it could have made her all-powerful, and it didn’t want to cause more pain, then what did it want? Perhaps it just wanted to be released and didn’t care either way about her. Perhaps it was against killing morally. ''Or perhaps, ''some brilliant corner of her mind whispered, ''perhaps it wanted to give me another chance. It might have deemed me unfit to rule, but not so unfit as to be deserve death. '' There was no way to tell short of asking it, and seeing as it wasn’t alive, it couldn’t be asked. She would probably never know its true intentions. But she did know that it had, for whatever reason, given her both a chance at life and the best faking of a death imaginable. Surely no one would seriously think she had survived that! ''And now, ''she smiled, ''I can strike from the shadows and disappear as quickly. I can be the silent watcher, the unreadable planner, the genius behind it all. I can, through direct rule or through subtle influence, regain control over my tribe. Soon, the history books will detail how wonderful Queen Blister rose from the dead to righteously vanquish her evil foe, the usurper Thorn—because I just '''know,' somehow, she stole the throne—and how she would defeat Thorn’s accomplices Clay, Tsunami, Glory, Starflight, and Sunny!'' There was no one around to hear the thoughts wildly flying through her mind. She was alone in some remote corner of Pyrrhia, safe from harm. From the constellation and climate, she was near the Rainforest Kingdom’s southeastern tip. No one would think to look for her here, even if they did suspect she was alive. After all, what would a SandWing be doing on the coast of the rainforest? Everyone knows SandWings hate being wet. '' Blister’s thoughts turned to the fate of her allies. Coral would no doubt refuse to help her. Coral might even kill her on sight if she knew of the plan to kill Tsunami. The other SeaWings would, for the most part, stay loyal to Coral. She might be able to find a few malcontents here and there, like that SeaWing scribe Whirlpool, but not enough to have an army. Perhaps enough to survive, but not enough to regain the throne that was rightfully hers. So her only hope were the NightWings. They had the greatest scientists, generals, and analysts in Pyrrhia. If anyone could figure out a way to devise a plan for her to take the throne (besides she herself), it was the NightWings. But she wasn’t so sure of their loyalty anymore. With Morrowseer’s status unknown, she’d lost her most loyal NightWing friend. Unless he was alive, the NightWings might refuse to help her. There was also the additional problem of what had transpired in the rainforest. From what her spies had told her, the NightWings were now under Glory’s rule. Glory wouldn’t hesitate in a moment to have her eyes burned out. She was a cold-blooded, psychotic killer, not even close to a so-called “dragonet of destiny.” She really hated how hypocritical the dragonets of destiny were. They condemned killing, but they’d killed. They said seizing power was bad, but that’s what she’d heard the RainWing had done. They said she was evil, they said Morrowseer was evil; they said almost everyone was evil. And yet, they never bothered to define evil. They just seemed to use it as a term for “dragons we don’t like and think deserve to die.” If she was evil, then they were evil. They’d both killed. What difference was there? But the dragonets of destiny were “good,” so she had to be good. ''Pity they’d never believe me, she reflected, almost sadly. Self-proclaimed “heroes” never do. None of them would even spare my life if they found me lying here, weak, drained of energy, and afraid. I could be tied up outside one of those RainWing huts and they still would execute me in a heartbeat. I would do the same, because I know they would want me dead. But they would do it “because I’m evil” or “because it’s right” or “because I deserve to die.” And that is the true difference between us. I know why I will kill. It is to save my own life, whether in the short or long run. They kill, and they pretend—maybe even they believe—that it’s for a higher reason. She couldn’t find any flaws in her logic. After all, it was her logic. If only she’d really had a chance to try to convince them. At the SeaWing palace would have been perfect, but for some reason they distrusted her from the moment they met her. It was actually emotionally painful. Dragons still feared and hated her, just because of her stupid speech impediment that made her voice hiss. She’d never wanted it—she was born with it! But after all, they only saw skin deep. For some reason, she wondered if she shouldn’t kill the dragonets of destiny. Of course I should! They’d kill me, so I have to defend myself! It’s completely justified, and there’s no reason not to! But some part of her mind asked, But if the Eye did actually spare me for a reason, wouldn’t letting them live show it that I did deserve this chance at life? And conversely, wouldn’t killing them show it that I don’t deserve mercy because I’ll take advantage of it? The dragonets will never let me be queen. Even if I get power fairly, they’ll murder me in my sleep. They completely '''hate' me. Maybe I could just imprison them, but even so, they’re a severe security risk. I will never be able to sleep easily with the knowledge that any of them are still alive.'' If I become queen, and spare all of them, Blaze, and Thorn, they’ll see they misjudged me and acquiesce to my rule. It’ll end up being far more powerful than killing them, because the SandWings will see that I am approved by the dragonets of destiny themselves! It’s not worth the risk. It might make my rule more stable, yes, but I’ll be forever dependant on their goodwill. They’ll be able to blackmail me into doing whatever they want me to do with the simple threat “Do you want us to support Thorn again?” I won’t be able to really rule, as they’ll be ruling me silently from behind. Besides, what if they just start another civil war? They’d almost certainly win it. They wouldn’t do that. They want peace. They’d rather have me as queen than start another war. Blackmail? They could influence me, yes, but if it gets bad enough I could threaten to have their loved ones killed. That would most likely resolve the problem. '' ''And if it doesn’t? What if they just decide to ''pretend to support me, but actually plan to overthrow me? '' That sounds like a plan I’d make. They aren’t smart enough to devise something that devious, and besides, they wouldn’t even want to. Glory might want to, but Sunny and Clay would convince her not to. And with Starflight the only one smart enough to even have a good idea, I’m safe. The two warring sides of her mind had been fighting for about two minutes now. She realized that she was still being crawled on by small creatures. With a growl, she rolled over. They scampered away, only now realizing that their large yellow fallen tree was actually a very annoyed SandWing princess. Blister examined her injuries. Her scales looked singed, most likely from the energy of the Eye. Other than that, she looked to be in relatively good health. Of course, magical jewels might have long-term dangers. She wasn’t narcissistic like Blaze was, but she knew that she had a very rare combination of a truly brilliant mind and a sleek, lithe, powerful, beautiful, and deadly body. Her lovers, for she’d had several over the years, had always told her of how much they admired, more than anything else, the amazing fact that there seemed to be nothing she wasn’t good at. Many upper-class dragons had told her, before the war, of how perfect a queen she would grow up to be. She still had, somewhere in her palace, a sparkling ceremonial suit of armor. It was pure electrum, and she’d loved it ever since her mother had given it to her. Someday, she’d have to retrieve it, probably after she was queen. She realized that she was very tired. Maybe that was why it had taken her so long to get up. The magic had probably drained most of her lifeforce. She’d have to sleep, but she’d prefer not to sleep on the ground where all those little monsters could crawl on her. Maybe somewhere up in the trees, if she could stomach the terrifying thought of being up that high. She finally found a large, sturdy bough that looked like it would be able to support her weight. She slowly crawled onto it, feeling it shudder under her weight. It seemed as though it would hold, though, so she tried to get as comfortable as best she could. ---- The next morning, Blister awoke slowly and serenely. Being at least superficially uninjured, she hadn’t realized how exhausted her body was. Well, I suppose being teleported across Pyrrhia would take a lot out of you. Good thing there’s no one around to attack me. I wouldn’t be able to fight in this condition. She stretched, feeling the warmth of the dawning sun strike her scales. She realized that if it had indeed been late afternoon last night, she’d just slept for about twelve hours. And I’m still somewhat tired. It seems I really needed sleep. She lifted off, and alighted softly on the springy, moist ground. Blister stretched again, her muscles feeling both pained and relieved. Lying on the branch had been a good strategic idea, but it was extremely uncomfortable. She’d probably be sore for days, if her previous muscle injuries were any comparison. But at least I’m alive, ''she said to herself. ''That’s more than Burn can say. She chuckled out loud at the thought. Suddenly, she felt a pang of something in her stomach. It wasn’t hunger, although she was somewhat hungry. It was an emotion, and a very strange one. She’d felt it before, but not in a long time. Anger? No, anger is hot or cold. This is warm. Envy? No. Sadness? Maybe, but it’s a little more… sharp. Maybe it’s regret. Yes, definitely. But regret for what? For not killing the dragonets when I had the chance? No, it’s for something else. A disturbing possibility occurred to her. Maybe… maybe regret for killing Burn? Could that be possible? Could I actually feel bad that I finally killed one of my worst enemies? For some stupid, insane, impossible reason, she had the feeling the answer might just be yes. Well, she wasn’t just my enemy. She '''was' also my sister, and even though we weren’t close, we still did share some subconscious bond, and… I broke it. I broke whatever had been left of what had held us together. Not the others, it was me. I’m the reason my family is ruined.'' A crushing feeling of guilt descended on her. I killed Burn, and it was for nothing. If I’d become queen, that would have at least justified my actions. But I didn’t. Now she’s dead and I’m not even queen. She died for no reason other than because I '''thought' it would make me queen.'' I have to become queen. Otherwise, Mother and Burn and all of our soldiers died in vain. Otherwise, every soldier who died in the war died for nothing. This isn’t just my love of power anymore. I have a ''moral obligation to become queen, for Mother and Burn and everyone else who’s died in this war. And I have to do it without ending any more lives unnecessarily.'' There would be no way to tell ahead of time if she would succeed. All she was sure of was that somehow, some way, she’d become queen or die trying. If she did die before she became queen, then the royal line’s last hope would be Blaze. Blaze would be an awful queen, but at least she’d be of royal blood. No matter what happened to her individually, the highest goal she had was to see her family returned to power. They’d held the throne for the past millennium and a half. And taking it from them was tantamount to declaring war upon her and her family. She’d find a way to regain it, though. And if she couldn’t, she’d arrange for one of her siblings to do so. Even someone like Smolder. Her thoughts turned to her siblings’ potential heirs. Smolder hadn’t had any eggs, at least as far as she was aware. She didn’t think Burn or Blaze had either, but she wasn’t sure. If any of them had had dragonets, then perhaps those little princesses, princes, duchesses and dukes could restore power even if she, Blaze, and Smolder died. As for Blister herself… she hadn’t had dragonets yet, but she’d often thought about it. The foremost reason was to ensure that her line continued on. She’d much rather die by one of her own dragonets’ claws than by Burn’s claws. But she’d decided against it until she won the war, as she had no time for raising a dragonet. Her lovers were all dead, mostly by IceWings and SandWings, but some under mysterious circumstances. She looked towards the East and its rising sun. The blazing—heehee—light of its nuclear fusion looked like it was ready to set the atmosphere on fire. Not many dragons new of the secrets of atomic physics, but that had been one of the many secrets Morrowseer had given her in return for her help. She knew they were some of the greatest gifts he could have given her. Blister’s thoughts drifted to Morrowseer. She wasn’t inclined to admit it, but he’d been one of her closest friends for a very long time. He was smart, loyal, cunning, analytical, ruthless, and protective. He’d stood by her loyally, and she trusted him more than almost anyone alive. He would, she was sure, be willing to risk his own live in a heartbeat to save NightWing lives, and as she was an honorary NightWing according to him, he’d protect her against everyone who wanted to kill her. But she was still uncertain. Something still felt off. She began to realize what it was. I am about to set into motion events unlike any I’ve done in twenty years. If I mess this up, it could start another world war. '' ''So I won’t mess it up. I’ll figure out a way, somehow, to accomplish everything I want to. I’ll do it for Morrowseer and Whirlpool and Burn and Oasis and everyone else who’s lost anything in this awful war. I’ll do it for the lineage of the SandWing royal family. And I’ll do it for our future. My destiny lies upon a path of sand, and I am walking towards it. My “death” was just a minor stumble on that long and winding road to my destiny. I’d best review my life again, though. I’d get a chance to see what caused my successes and what I’m doing right, and a chance to see what led to setbacks and how to avoid them. The morning sun, shining ever brighter as it climbed into the sky, seemed to mirror her spirit soaring. A cunning smile flitted onto her face, ever so briefly. And I’ll be ready, little dragonets. You won the first game. Now it’s time for a rematch. And this time, you won’t even know you’re playing. Part One: Dragonet Chapter 01 She wasn’t really thinking in words, more just in touch and sounds and emotions and smells. But she knew it was time. It simply was. With a supreme force of will, she shot her snout up towards the roof of the universe. It gave way, and the universe fragmented into tiny pieces. She huddled back, afraid. Her wings flew over her eyes, hiding from the… bigger universe? That was what it seemed to be. The universe was inside another universe. She wondered if she could break this one too. The roof of this one was a lot further away, though. She couldn’t even feel it. She was scared, because it was too big. Why was it so big? It wasn’t supposed to be so big! It was supposed to be a little bigger than she was, not so much bigger! She let out a little yelp, even though there was no one to hear her. After all, she was the only thing in the universe, and even if this universe was bigger, there could still only be her, right? There couldn’t be anything besides her, or she would have noticed some sign. Since she hadn’t, it was unlikely that there was anything else. Suddenly, a strange-looking, gigantic, twisted, shiny, and pale yellow… thing shot down towards her. She yelped again. She had a new idea. She moved her legs, and the rest of her body moved with her! That hadn’t happened inside the small universe! Eager to try out this new power, as well as to escape the strange thing, she shot forward, moving her legs in tandem. It was as if they’d always known exactly how to move, and she’d finally asked them to. The yellow thing was faster than her, though. It twisted around in some foreign way and grabbed her by the midsection. She flailed around, but it was useless. This thing was far stronger than she was, and it somehow moved her up, away from the comforting, safe ground. She didn’t understand how this was possible, but it seemed that the yellow thing could do whatever it wanted, even if it broke all the laws of nature she’d observed from within her smaller universe. But this yellow thing didn’t try to hurt her. It just gently stroked her scales. She huddled against it, her previous fear for it forgotten. She purred softly, feeling completely at home with this warm, yellow source of happiness. It didn’t even flinch when she nuzzled it with her tiny, tickling snout. Something that seemed somehow attached to the yellow thing made a sound. She didn’t understand the words, but she recognized the unmistakable kindness behind them. It soothed her, calmed her, and fostered contentment within her. If she’d known Draconic, she would have heard, “I think I’ll name you Blister. I can already tell you’ll grow up to be a wonderful princess. You’ve got the look in your eyes of intelligence. You’ll love Burn. She’s such a perfect princess. She’ll be an even better queen. I just know you two will be best friends.” The little dragonet, now named Blister, curled up against the yellow thing and went to sleep. Destroying a universe was very hard work, after all. She deserved a good rest after all she’d done in the few minutes since her annihilation of her previous universe. ---- When she next woke up, Blister saw something very strange. It was about as big as she imagined herself to be. It had four legs, two wings, and a tail, just like she did. It was a little different from her, though. It had a slightly different configuration of snout bones than she did. She liked it. It was interesting and new, and she wanted to know more about it. She flapped over near it, and playfully knocked it over, not meaning any harm. It—no, it wasn’t an it, it was a he, whatever that meant—flapped around helplessly on the ground of their nest. He hadn’t figured out how to move in this larger universe yet. Blister reached down and helped him up as best she could, bracing her body on the side of the nest for more leverage. Once he was standing again, he peered at her inquisitively. She squeaked happily, and he squeaked back. She could already tell that they’d be the closest of friends, even though she didn’t know what a friend was yet. She noticed that little bits of something spherical were scattered around him. Her mind pieced together a few disjoint facts, and she quickly realized something. He came from another universe just like hers! Before she had time to dwell on the significance of this amazing fact, the big yellow thing came back. It picked up her friend with one smooth movement. But somehow, he was more than just her friend. On some subconscious level, she knew he was half of her, just like the big yellow thing was half of her. Her friend was also her… brother. That was the word. He was her brother, and he was wonderful. The big yellow thing picked up her brother. Blister started crying. Why did it take away her brother? She wanted her brother! Her brother made her happy! She wanted to be with him, because he was like her! It reached down and picked up Blister too. It held her near her brother. She still couldn’t understand Draconic, so she didn’t hear it say, “You will be… Simmer. It just fits you. In fact, I’ve decided I’ll name all my dragonets about heat-related phenomena. I’ve already got Burn and Blister, so you’ll fit right in.” Oasis set both of them down again, and Simmer snuggled up against his older sister. They both slowly drifted off to sleep together, each helping comfort the other in their little nest. Oasis covered their tiny, weak, frail bodies with sand, both to camouflage them and to make sure they stayed warm enough. List of Characters Mentioned In Order *Blister *Thorn *Clay *Tsunami *Glory *Starflight *Sunny *Coral *Whirlpool *Morrowseer *Blaze *Burn *Smolder *Oasis *Simmer Category:Fanfictions Category:Fanfictions (Canon) Category:Content (Matau99) Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)